1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates generally to thermoelectric cooling, heating, and power generation systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Thermoelectric (TE) modules (e.g., 40 mm×40 mm squares) have been manufactured for specific niche heating and cooling applications. These modules include TE materials connected together with electrodes and sandwiched between two ceramic substrates. These modules have been used as building blocks for thermoelectric devices and systems. They have often been connected to heat exchangers, sandwiched between hot and cold (or waste and main) sides. Often, the thermal resistance created by the ceramic substrates of the module, as well as by the interfacial material used to connect them to the heat exchangers, is quite large and detrimental to the performance of the thermoelectric device. In addition, for liquid-to-gas TE applications, the gas side is often one of the main limiting factors. It is often difficult to have a design with a large enough heat transfer surface area to compensate for the low heat transfer coefficients of the gas as compared to that of the liquid. This causes an impedance mismatch for the TE device and again a drop in performance.